The Son Tra District authority in Da Nang has issued a document on the prevention and handling of intentional exploitation, transportation, collection, trading and processing of pufferfish across the district.

Accordingly, the ward-level authorities and related agencies shall focus on opening a peak publicity campaign in the residential community and business establishments about the dangers pufferfish may pose to human health; thereby raising people's awareness of voluntarily not exploiting, collecting, trading, processing and consuming pufferfish and suggesting methods of giving timely first aid in cases of poisoning caused by eating puffer fish or foods made from this type of fish.

The Son Tra District authority strictly prohibits the exploitation, collection, trading, transportation, processing and consumption of pufferfish in any form and cases causing serious consequences must be prosecuted before law.

Also, the general public is highly recommended to actively denounce when detecting acts of intentionally exploiting, collecting, transporting, trading, processing and consuming pufferfish.

Pufferfish is a luxury winter delicacy in Japan, but a licence is required to prepare and serve "fugu", as the fish is known, with any bite potentially containing a lethal toxic surprise.

In Viet Nam, a country with a long north-south coastline, about 60 species of fugu are believed to inhabit local waters, but national law has banned the sale and consumption of them since 2013, as a number of poisoning incidents have been reported due to unfamiliarity with how to handle the fish.

Reporting by THIEN NGUYEN – Translating by A.THU